Sir Topham Hatt
Sir Stephen Topham Hatt, nicknamed "the Fat Controller" (previously known as "the Fat Director"), is the manager of the North Western Railway. The Fat Controllers So far, there have been three controllers in charge of the North Western Railway. Sir Topham Hatt I (1880-1956)Edit Topham Hatt was apprenticed at Swindon Works at age fourteen and seems to have struck a friendship with W. A. Stanier during his time there. He came to Sodor in 1901 and joined A. W. Dry & Co. at Tidmouth. On their recommendation, he became engineer to the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway in 1909, the Tidmouth, Wellsworth & Suddery in 1912, and the North Western Railway upon its formation in 1914. On the North Western Railway, he rose to be general manager in 1923, managing director in 1936, and upon Nationalisation in 1948, he was created a baronet on his appointment as chairman of the Regional Executive. He married Jane, sister of Mr. Handel Brown, and retired in 1954 in favour of his son Charles, whom the board had no hesitation in electing as his successor. In The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine, he was nicknamed The Fat Director before his nickname changed to The Fat Controller in James the Red Engine. Sir Charles Topham Hatt II (1914-1997)Edit Sir Charles Topham Hatt was the Fat Controller from 1954 to 1984, when he retired in favour of his own son. During his period of office, he began improvements to the harbour at Knapford, planned by his father, and reopened the Arlesburgh branch in 1965/6, being responsible for the construction of the Arlesdale Railway and for establishing the ballast consortium which uses it. His cousin, Sir Handel Lloyd Brown II, was born in 1924. He married Amanda Croarie in 1940 and they had two children, Stephen Topham, born 1941, and Bridget, born 1943. Charles inherited his father's baronetcy in 1956. Sir Stephen Topham Hatt III (1941-)Edit Sir Stephen Topham Hatt (who first appeared in Toby the Tram Engine while on a family holiday in East Anglia with his parents and grandfather) became the Fat Controller in 1984, succeeding to his father's baronetcy in 1997. In 1970, he married Helen Margaret, a distant cousin and granddaughter of the Reverend Nicholas Dreswick, the much-respected historian of Sodor. They had three children: Richard Topham, born in 1972 and no doubt destined to be Sir Topham Hatt IV (his father will be seventy-four in 2015, though he has, as yet, given no hint of retiring), Charles Nicholas (1974-) and Emily Helen (1977-). With great skill, he masterminded the arrangements for the royal visit in 1995, when he welcomed the Prince of Wales on his visit to Sodor. The Fat Controller in the televison Series In the television series there is only one Fat Controller. He can be described as a combination of the three controllers from the Railway Series. He considers himself a gentleman of merit, and has no favourite engines. Prior to his becoming Controller of the North Western Railway, Sir Bertram Topham Hatt owned a Sentinel steam lorry named Elizabeth, who notes that he wasn't the best driver. When he was a young man, Edward always took him aboard an old coach on his birthday. The Fat Controller later received his knighthood for his service to the railway industry. Sir Topham was also the controller of the Skarloey Railway, until Mr. Percival was hired to help him manage the ever-increasing size of his railway industry. In the sixteenth season, he gained a track inspection car named Winston, which is often used as a private transportation vehicle on the railway. Sir Topham Hatt married Lady Hatt, and is the grandfather of Stephen and Bridget Hatt. He has a twin brother, Sir Lowham Hatt, and his mother is Dowager Hatt. According to the Official Website, "we have yet to meet his children". As well as owning several engines, he owns a cat, two cars, and lives in a mansion somewhere on the outskirts of Wellsworth. Persona The Fat Controller is firm but fair. He can be strict, but also shows a fatherly side to the engines. He is quite a strong character and will remind the engines that he is in charge when they start to rebel against his authority. He does not stand bullying and, even though he is usually serious, he does enjoy a good laugh. Despite his kindness and fairness, however, there are times where he berates the engines for things beyond their control. Attire The Fat Controller is a short, stout gentleman. He is usually dressed in a black suit with grey trousers, a cream or yellow waistcoat, a black tie, and a top hat. He is most often depicted as having thinning grey hair and blue eyes. Voice Actors * Takeshi Aono (Japan; fifth - eighth series) Trivia *Sir Topham Hatt is best friends with Princess Celestia